2016 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay

The Hendry Vineyard is located on benchlands just west of the town of Napa. The vines grow on thin, stony soils between 200 and 300 feet above sea level. The vineyard is at the intersection of the cooler Carneros appellation, and the greater Napa Valley, which becomes warmer as you travel northward. Morning fog and afternoon breezes from the San Pablo Bay moderate the climate, giving us long, warm summer days and cooler nights.

This wine is a selection from our diverse Chardonnay blocks: Block 9 (KD selection), Block 20 (Dijon 95 clone), and Block 21 (Old Wente selection). In 2016, median budbreak occurred in the Chardonnay blocks March 7-8th; bloom occurred May 3-10th. Veraison was July 12-15th, and harvest began with Block 20 on August 23rd, and finished September 1st with the 44-year-old Block 9. Bloom to harvest averaged 113 days, with an average yield of 2.61 tons per acre among the three blocks.

The Barrel Fermented Chardonnay is whole-cluster pressed and then cold-settled. It is barrel fermented sur lie and aged in French oak barrels for 11 months, without racking, undergoing monthly battonage. Approximately one-third of the barrels are new each year. The Barrel Fermented Chardonnay does not undergo any malolactic fermentation, which is important for retaining its food-friendly acidity.

Yellow-gold color. Green/golden apple and spice aromatics. Soft, medium-weight palate, with layered flavors of tangy fruit, and spicy oak and apple peel on the finish. Our favorite pairings for this wine are salmon, Manchego cheese, white pizzas, especially with shrimp, crab cakes, chicken, turkey, and all the trimmings. This wine’s food pairing versatility and non-malolactic, acidic brightness make friends for it on both sides of the Chardonnay divide.